United News of Bangladesh

Three major fire incidents in Dhaka and the port city of Chattogram have raised serious concerns over Bangladesh’s safety standards and emergency preparedness, experts said. The latest incident occurred at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, leading to the suspension of flight operations. The fire broke out at the airport’s cargo village around 2:30 pm on Saturday near Gate No. 8, said Talha Bin Jashim, an official of the Fire Service and Civil Defence (Media Cell). Thirty seven firefighting units are currently battling the blaze, with six additional units on their way. Members of the Bangladesh Army, Air Force, and two platoons of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have also joined the efforts. Flight operations at the airport have been suspended since the fire erupted, confirmed spokesperson Md Masudul Hasan Masud. Earlier in the week, a devastating fire in the Shialbari area of the Rupnagar residential zone in Mirpur killed 16 people after a garment factory and an adjacent chemical warehouse caught fire on Tuesday. CEPZ fire still raging; 23 units battling to bring blaze under control While the factory blaze was brought under control after three hours, the nearby chemical warehouse continued to burn. Meanwhile, in Chattogram, a fire at a factory in the Export Processing Zone (CEPZ) on Thursday took 17 hours and 25 firefighting units to bring under control. Investigations into both the Chattogram and Dhaka incidents are underway, with committees formed by the Fire Service and local authorities. Large fires are common in Bangladesh, often attributed to poor infrastructure and lax safety standards. Past tragedies include a 2021 fire at a food and drink factory that killed at least 52 people, a 2019 fire that claimed 78 lives in Old Dhaka, and the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse near Dhaka, which killed more than 1,100 people. Dhaka, the capital, has a long history of devastating fire incidents — each exposing deep-rooted failures in oversight and enforcement by the authorities. These incidents point to a worrying pattern: the continued operation of high-risk industrial sites without proper oversight, enforcement, or safety protocols — often at the cost of human lives. Flights diverted to Ctg, Kolkata after Fire at Shahjalal Airport Parvez Karim Abbasi, Assistant Professor at East West University, said the responsibility lies with the city corporations and related agencies to carry out regular inspections for fire hazards. He noted that coordination between the city corporations and other relevant bodies remains limited when it comes to identifying and reducing repeated fire incidents. Smart city planning, he added, must also address this issue by ensuring that factories are separated from residential areas and that safe work practices are enforced in these factories. “Hazardous, toxic, or flammable materials must be stored safely and regularly inspected by the responsible organisations. There should also be regular updates on the state of safety,” he said. Although there are procedures in place on paper, in reality they are often not properly followed. Arson and fire-related incidents continue to occur regularly, causing major losses of both property and life. The main issue lies in the lack of proper implementation and coordination among all concerned organisations. It is also about raising public awareness and ensuring that businesses take responsibility by not cutting corners and by investing in proper safety measures. Fire breaks out at Dhaka airport’s cargo section; 37 units battling blaze   Whether it is the Fire Service, RAJUK, or the city corporations, all relevant bodies must work together more effectively. They need to carry out regular inspections and strictly follow safety protocols. Regarding the limitations of the Fire Service, Abbasi suggested increasing the number of fire personnel, improving their resources and facilities, and ensuring they are well equipped. He also blamed traffic congestion, narrow roads, unplanned city layouts, and the lack of water hydrants along streets for delaying fire response times. “The problem will not be solved overnight. We need to take an integrated approach to deal with it,” he added. Meanwhile, the country witnessed 26,659 fire incidents last year, in which 140 people — including two firefighters — were killed and 341 others injured. According to the Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD), an average of 73 fire incidents took place per day across the country in 2024. “Most fires originated from electrical short circuits, burning cigarette or bidi ends, stoves, and gas leaks,” it said. These fires caused damage to properties worth around Tk 447 crore, while the Fire Service saved properties valued at over Tk 1,974 crore across the country during the same period. To strengthen fire prevention measures nationwide, the FSCD operated 147 mobile courts in 2024, and 149 organisations were fined a total of Tk 25.832 crore. Cases were filed against three organisations. To reduce fire accidents, the FSCD conducted 18,983 drills, 3,036 surveys, and 15,683 public awareness events across the country in 2024. Besides, 1,47,717 people were trained through 7,769 fire safety training courses nationwide. Of them, 1,56,840 garment workers received training through 3,921 courses conducted in garment factories alone.

A fire that broke out at Karail slum in Mohakhali area of the capital Sunday afternoon has been doused, officials said. The fire started at 4:30 pm and spread soon, said Anwarul Islam, warehouse inspector of Fire Service and Civil Defense headquarters. “Nine fire tending units were pressed into service and it took them an hour to contain the flames,” he said. "The firemen doused the flames completely around 6:40pm," he added. No casualties were reported. "The origin of the fire will be known after a probe," the officer said.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) has said the fire and explosion at BM Container Depot illustrates the urgent need to ensure proper handling and storage of chemicals. The incident also illustrates the urgent need to ensure proper training for storage facility staff at awareness and operational levels, and effective crowd control during an emergency incident, it said in a statement on Monday.  Additionally, the UN agency said, the incident underscores the need for an effective industrial and enterprise safety framework and enforcement and training system to ensure a structured approach to mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery to all hazards. This will require improved collaboration and partnership between government departments, employers and workers representatives, and civil society, it said on Monday. Read: Operation to douse Ctg depot fire continues; Death toll stands at 50 The ILO says it is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life of at least 50 people including nine fire services professionals from a fire and explosion at BM Container Depot in Chattogram on June 4. “We extend our heartfelt condolences and solidarity with the families of the injured and deceased.” Tackling this problem calls for action in a number of areas, says ILO, adding that, “These include a review of regulations and enforcement in the transport and logistics sector, the payment of adequate compensation and income support to injured and disabled workers and families of workers who lost lives in work-related accidents, and to conduct safety campaigns that target transport/logistic service providers as well as emergency-service personnel.” Recently the government, employer and worker representatives have agreed to roll out a modern, comprehensive Employment Injury Scheme (EIS) in Bangladesh starting from the ready-made garment (RMG) sector, with the possibility of extension to other sectors. Such a system includes accident prevention, immediate and long-term compensation, and rehabilitation to return to work. Read: Chinese ambassador Li visits Bhasan Char The ILO continues to work closely with the government of Bangladesh, employers’ and workers’ organisations and development partners to improve working conditions in all industries expanding learning from the ready-made garment RMG industry since the Rana Plaza tragedy in April 2013.   Proper monitoring of industries by government to ensure that industrial and accidental risks are properly understood, addressed and prevented is essential to improving safe working conditions in Bangladesh, said ILO. ILO and the broader UN system in Bangladesh hoped that this tragic accident will drive all parties involved to apply renewed vigour in addressing the safety deficits in workplaces across the country and we extend our assistance to continue to build safer Bangladesh for all.

Four thatched houses and three adjacent commercial establishments were gutted in a fire that broke out in the city's Hazaribagh area in the early hours of Thursday. Fortunately, no casualties were reported. The blaze began around 3am in one of the houses in Jhauchar Beribadh and soon engulfed two houses, a rickshaw garage, a hotel and a metal scrap shop in the vicinity, said Ershad Hossain, duty officer at Fire Service and Civil Defense Control Room. As many as six fire tenders were pressed into service and the blaze was contained around 3.45 am. "The fire was fully doused around 4.30am," he added. Also read: Container fire at Kamalapur Railway Station under control Fire officials suspect that an electrical short-circuit triggered the fire. "Anyway, a probe has been ordered to ascertain the exact cause of the fire and the extent of damage," the officer said. Also read: Fire at Sylhet hawkers' market doused

A fire broke out at a slum in the Agrabad DT area of Chattogram port city early on Saturday, officials said. Fortunately, no casualties were reported. The blaze started around 4 am at the slum and spread soon, said Faruk Hossain Shikder, assistant director of Chattogram Fire Service. Also read: 4 of a family suffer burn injuries in Narayanganj fire On information, six fire tenders rushed to the spot and extinguished the blaze around 6 am. Also read: Rayerbagh coil factory fire under control A probe will ascertain the exact cause of the fire and the extent of damage, the official said.  

More than 200 shanties were gutted in a massive fire that broke out at a slum along the busy Dhaka-Mymensingh highway in the Tongi area of Gazipur district early on Saturday. Fortunately, no casualties were reported. But hundreds of people have been rendered homeless. Mohammad Manik-Uz-Zaman, assistant director of Gazipur Fire Service and Civil Defense, said that the fire broke out around 4 am at a shack in Mazar slum in Tongi before engulfing other shanties. Hearing the screams, all slum dwellers could managed to come out of their houses but the fire destroyed all their belongings. "Nine fire tenders were pressed into service but it took them over two hours to douse the flames. However, it is still not clear what caused the fire," the fire officer said. Local people claimed that five people sustained minor injuries while rushing out of their houses. "However, the extent of damage caused by the fire could not be ascertained immediately," the officer said. Local ward councillor Giasuddin said that food assistance would be provided to the victims at the slum.  Read: Narayanjganj fire: One succumbs to burn injuries, two battling for lives

The number of fire incidents in Bangladesh has increased four times over the last two decades as the country’s urban areas are expanding without basic infrastructure like fire stations. According to data provided by the Fire Service and Civil Defence, around 285,000 fires occurred in the country between January 1, 1999 and December 31, 2020. These fire incidents also caused an estimated financial loss of around Tk6,900 crore to the nation. Besides, at least 2,308 people were killed in fires across the country between 2004 and 2020, the fire service data shows. The year 2019 saw the highest number of 24,074 fire incidents while 2020 the second highest of 21,073. Urban experts attributed the rise in fire incidents to unplanned urbanization, the violation of rules for constructing buildings, a pervasive culture of non-enforcement of the law, carelessness of people, increased use of gas cylinders and different electronic devices and lack of supervision by the authorities concerned. They also said people in the capital and other major cities of the country are at the high risk of fires for lack of proper urban fire safety systems. Read: Fire incidents in Bangladesh triple in 22 years The experts suggested taking immediate initiatives to ensure safety compliance of city buildings like the garment factories and raising public awareness to significantly reduce the number of fires. Three major causes As per the statistics of the Fire Service and Civil Defence, around 99,752 fires occurred in the country between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2020. Of them, 71,684 or over 71 percent of fires originated from electric disturbances, different types of burners and burning cigarettes in the last five years. Of the total incidents, 37,044 (37 percent) originated from electric disturbances while 19,124 (19.17 percent) from different types of burners and 15,536 (15.57 percent) from burning cigarettes. Contacted, Prof Mehedi Ahmed Ansari of the Civil Engineering department at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) said electric short-circuit is the main reason behind the rise in fire incidents in urban areas as most buildings are not constructed maintaining the building code. He said other reasons for the fire are associated with people’s lack of awareness. “An effective campaign to raise public awareness in this regard should be launched across the country.” Read: Padma boat tragedy: Death toll rises to 4 The expert said electric equipment should be inspected periodically to reduce the chances of fire.